About Us

The team at HR Connections brings together a unique mix of HR, Health & Safety and Training skills, and can provide expertise, advice and assistance on all aspects of the employment relationship.

Our HR Specialists are fully qualified and Chartered Members of the CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development) with a proven track record in HR Management. Our Health & Safety Services and Training courses are provided by fully qualified and accredited Health & Safety professionals.

Claire Carroll, HR Consultant

Claire is a highly experienced and qualified HR professional, with a career history combining SME, start-up environments and independent consulting. Prior to setting up HR Connections in 2008, Claire was Director and co-owner of a Galway based HR consultancy firm for over 5 years. She also has extensive experience of HR Management in the Hospitality industry, having previously worked as Group Human Resources Manager for an Irish hotel group for a number of years. Her clients now come from a variety of industries including Hospitality, Retail, Manufacturing, Services, etc.

Claire is a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development), and has a BA from NUIG, a Diploma in Personnel Management at Galway Mayo Institute of Technology and a Diploma in Employment Law from the Law Society of Ireland, Blackhall Place, Dublin.

Michael Casey, Health & Safety Consultant and Trainer

Michael is a highly experienced Health & Safety professional and has been providing Health & Safety consultancy services and training for HR Connections since 2009. In addition to carrying out Risk Assessments and Safety Statements, Michael delivers a wide range of statutory training and Health & Safety courses including First Aid, Manual Handling, Fire Safety, Food Safety etc.

Michael also has a Diploma in Medical Technology from University College Dublin, and a Foundation Diploma in Training in Education from NUI Galway.

Mags Devaney, HR and Training Co-Ordinator

Mags has been with HR Connections since 2011, and co-ordinates all our HR and Health & Safety training programmes, as well as serving as the first point of contact for the office. Mags has previously worked in UK academic Libraries and brings years of office based experience to this role.

Mags has a Certificate in Employment Law together with a BSc in Information Communication Technology & Communication Studies.

Karen Stace, HR Consultant and Trainer

Karen joined HR Connections in 2014, and provides HR Consultancy services, as well as Manual Handling and Food Safety Training. Karen has over twenty years’ experience in Human Resource Management, primarily in the Hospitality and Education sectors.

Karen is experienced in all aspects of HR from the routine of day to day personnel operations and delivering training, through to staff retention measures, manpower planning and HR Strategies.

A Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, Karen has a Higher National Diploma (HND) in Hotel Catering Management from Brighton University, and a Post Graduate Diploma in Personnel Management from Kingston University.

Nigel Murray, Senior Recruitment Consultant

Nigel Murray, our senior recruitment consultant, is a chef with over 25 years’ experience. For many of these years, Nigel worked internationally as a senior chef at a very high level, in countries as diverse as Switzerland, Germany, New Zealand, Australia, Italy and Peru.

In 2004 he and his family came back home to Galway, where Nigel worked as Executive Head Chef in two of Galway’s most prestigious Hotels, The Ardilaun Hotel and Glenlo Abbey.

It was while working in the Ardilaun that Nigel became aware of the growing need for a recruitment agency dedicated to the recruitment of chefs. To fill this growing gap in the market he started his own recruitment agency, FnB Recruitment Solutions, focusing exclusively on the hospitality sector and specializing in chefs. FnB had great success in placing excellent candidates in suitable positions.

With Chef Connections, Nigel is now once again returning to his passion of matching passionate chefs with excellent employers.

what our clients say

“Having worked with HR & Safety Connections for some time now we can not recommend the team there highly enough.

Their vast range of expertise coupled with their approachability and willingness to assist their clients in any way that they can is a priceless resource to our company.

We have found HR & Safety Connections seamless in their meeting of our requests and look forward to working with them for a long time to come.”

Katie Molony - Managing Director - JOE.ie & Her.ie, Dublin

“I have worked with Claire Carroll on numerous occasions over the last ten years. I have at all times found her to be an asset to our business whether she be employed directly or working on a contract or fee based remuneration. Claire is a hard–working, honest and talented individual and her skill–set within her chosen fields of HR and Training are in my opinion unsurpassed. I continue to use Claire´s Company when the need arises within my own business, and look forward to continuing our excellent working relationship over the coming years.”

Dave Kelly, General Manager – Westwood Hotel, Galway

“HR Connections has provided the Restaurants Association Skillnet with an excellent service which was tailored to meet the needs of Restaurant and Hotel members of the Association. All our members were delighted with the programme which covered Employment Law and dealt with JLCs, NERA, Contracts of Employment, etc., and the feedback was extremely positive. Claire Carroll was a very informative, interesting and excellent communicator.”

“I just wanted to say thank you for last Saturday. The Paediatric First Aid course went very well and all the parents were very happy with the course. I have done several of these courses over the years and I really found this one to be the best. This is mainly down to Michael, who really made the day interesting and kept it flowing, and provided the parents and staff with practical and useful information. I have already recommended the course to others.”

Grainne Morris, St. Lawrence Montessori School , Clontarf , Dublin

“This was an excellent training course. Professionally organised and delivered by Michael Casey. Michael has a great understanding of hospitality industry which made First Aid relevant to day-to-day operations. Michael made the subject relevant and fun while achieving course objectives.”

Mike Whelan – General Manager, Saba - Dublin

“We have used HR Connections over the last number of years to carry out First Aid / Fire Safety and Manual Handling Training for both our Professional Cookery and Management programmes.

The feedback we have had from both students and tutors has been excellent and Michael is a pleasure to deal with. Claire and her team in the office will go out of their way to deliver what you need when you need it. I cannot recommend them highly enough and would have no problem if anyone wanted to contact me”

Claire initially drew up our Contracts of Employment and Employee Handbook, and later implemented our Performance Management System, meeting with most of our Management and Staff during the process. We are very happy with the service provided, and would be happy to recommend HR Connections to anyone needing HR or Health & Safety Services and Support.

Owen Hughes, Director of Portwest Limited, Co. Mayo

“Delighted to have a local supportive service like this – reassuring to deal with a familiar voice/person and to support local too! Very happy with service and would have no hesitation recommending you to any small business.”

Leanne Evertsen, Proprietor - Barna and Moycullen Vet Clinic, Galway

“I found Claire a pleasure to deal with. Claire drew up all my staff contracts for me and was of great help during a NERA audit. She has great expertise and knowledge and is always at the other end of a phone when needed. I would have no hesitation in highly recommending Claire and her company.”

“We hired Claire Carroll as lead tutor on our Certificate in Employment Law programme. She did an excellent job with very positive feedback from the students and support staff. She delivered an excellent course and we are happy to rehire Claire for the same role this autumn.”

Cathleen Hartnett, Programme Director – Atlantic College

“HR Connections has provided the Salthill Hotel with a high level of professionalism and knowledge in all aspects of HR compliance within the hotel.

Claire Carroll continues to work with us in proactively assisting us in the area of HR, productivity, legal compliance and offers us continuing HR and support which is extremely important to us to ensure the smooth running of this large very busy Hotel.

In addition the team at HR Connections are reliable and flexible, a real asset to any organisation and we look forward to a long business relationship with them into the future.”

Fiona Killilea, General Manager, Salthill Hotel

Waterford Harley-Davidson are celebrating 10 years in business this year and in that time have been working with HR & Safety Connections and have found their advice and expertise invaluable in developing our business.

Lenny Burns, Waterford Harley Davidson, Waterford

“Found the course extremely beneficial and informative. There was absolutely no chance of boredom, we were constantly involved in the training process and testing our knowledge. Very well run.”

Amanda Moore - Castleprint - Galway

“We have used the services of HR Connections for the past 2 years and they have been invaluable in making sure we have the latest information and legislative updates for any of the issues that have arisen for us. We have found Claire Carroll and her team to be knowledgeable, efficient and extremely helpful and would have no hesitation in recommending them to any other company for their HR requirements.”

Ross Lewis, Chapter One Restaurant, Dublin 1

“Claire was recommended to us by a colleague as a ´must have´. She has a fantastic knowledge in her field and a great way of getting the job done. She is very easy to work with and we will definitely work with her again in the future. She is extremely professional and we would wholeheartedly recommend her to anyone.”

Philip Ryan, General Manager, Carluccio's Restaurant, Dublin

“I initially contacted HR Connections to draw up contracts of employment, and found that the company has a full range of services covering all an employer´s needs. We have since used the company to prepare our Safety Statement and provide Manual Handling training. I am very happy with the result and will continue to use their services. I can highly recommend HR Connections for the speed of response and their excellent customer service.”

“We were delighted with the service and professionalism of HR Connections. As a growing business it is great to have somebody like Claire Carroll to call on to bring us peace of mind knowing that our HR requirements are fully met in compliance with current legislation”

Diarmuid Kelly, Kelly Oysters, Kilcolgan, Galway

“The White Gables Restaurant uses HR Connections on an ongoing basis for all our HR requirements (including Contracts of Employment, screening and interviewing candidates, First Aid, Manual Handling, HACCP and Food Safety training). From the initial consultation process onwards, we have always received a professional, efficient, and friendly service. They have a strong client focus, and the service is specifically tailored to suit our requirements. We are very happy with the professionalism of the service and the excellent level of ongoing support.”